Cumberland Economic Development has announced aerospace firm SPARC Research will be locating in the Rosenbaum Building in Downtown Cumberland.  SPARC works in solid rocket and air-breathing propulsion technologies.  A $100,000 grant from the Senator George Edwards Fund helped create an incentive package. SPARC Research President Matt Cornwell spoke with WCBC about the opportunity…     “The idea behind the grant and the intent is to help being high-paying jobs to the Cumberland market, and we are fortunate to have this relationship and expect it to continue through different phases and our relationship with the CEDC to grow over time.” CEDC…

On Tuesday, the Maryland House of Delegates went over almost 200 budget amendments, including a $25 million dollar cut in Program Open Space funds from rural legacy programs, land preservation and state open space funding. After debate on the cuts, Democratic Delegate Ben Barnes said such actions are needed now…     “We don’t like this cut. We don’t want to take this cut. But sometimes you have to govern. Every now and then, you have to govern. And taking hard cuts and taking hard revenue is what governing looks like.”

Governor Patrick Morrisey has signed legislation banning certain harmful food dyes from use as an ingredient in school lunches and in food items throughout West Virginia.  The ban takes effect in January 2028, but items to be banned because of the dyes include M&Ms, Mountain Dew, and most chewing gums.  Morrisey says banning these ingredients is to ensure the health of West Virginia’s kids…     “I’m very strongly in favor of protecting our kids and making sure they can eat healthy foods.  I’ve had a number of meetings where I’m learning more about that to make sure I can…

Human remains found off of Independence Street earlier this month have been positively identified as those of Ray Lawrence Aleshire.  Aleshire had been reported missing in March of 2023.  A citizen using a metal detector in woods behind Independence Street discovered what appeared to be human bones. Cumberland Police and crime scene technicians conducted a thorough search of the area and also found a backpack and documents bearing Aleshire’s name. The cause of death was unable to be determined.

On the eve of the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, the National Transportation Safety Board is recommending safety checks for bridges across the country including the Golden Gate in San Francisco, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and the Brooklyn Bridge. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy says if Maryland’s Transportation Authority had done a vulnerability assessment of the Key Bridge, they would have known the risk and could have taken action to safeguard it…    “Not only did MDTA fail to conduct a vulnerability assessment on the Key Bridge, they did not provide nor were they able to provide the NTSB with the…

The City of Cumberland Engineering Department, on behalf of Columbia Gas of Maryland, would like to notify the public that Kent Avenue from Louisiana Avenue to Memorial Avenue will be closed to thru traffic on Wednesday, March 26th and Thursday, March 27th from the times of 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. A detour will be in place to direct vehicles around the site, during the temporary closing. Vehicles will be detoured via Brookfield and Louisiana. The area will be open to local traffic outside of the restricted time of 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The road closure will allow Columbia…

After a thorough investigation, it has been determined that the skeletal human remains found in the wooded area off Independence Street in Cumberland on March 4, 2025, belong to Ray Lawrence Aleshire. Mr. Aleshire was reported missing by his son on March 9, 2023, after several weeks without contact. His son explained that Larry was homeless and stayed in the local area, but it was unusual for him to be out of touch for so long. Since his disappearance, officers from the Cumberland Police Department, detectives from the Allegany County Combined Criminal Investigation Unit, and allied agencies worked diligently to…

On Monday, March 24, 2025, the Cumberland Police Department served an arrest warrant on Ben Metheny.  The warrant was issued as the result of an incident that occurred on March 24, 2025 at approximately 3:00 AM when police responded to a residence in the 900 block of Bedford Street for an assault.  Officers contacted the alleged victim who reported that she had been assaulted by Metheny who was no longer on scene.  The victim explained that Metheny also took her vehicle without her permission.  After further investigation, police filed for charges against Metheny at the District Court of Allegany County. …

Former Social Security Administration head Martin O’Malley says that he feels for the workers being let go by DOGE as well as those that receive benefits. Plans to cut upwards of 7,000 jobs and close offices will have catastrophic effects, according to O’Malley, a former Maryland governor.  He points to longer wait times by phone, delayed benefit determinations, and other backlogs…     “Ultimately, all of these things are going to cascade, and going to result in an interruption of benefits. How soon that will happen, I don’t exactly know, but I believe it will be in the next 90…

The new tax plans released last week by the Moore Administration now show a 20% increase in the standard deduction for Maryland residents – a change from the first-proposed doubling of the current deduction. New plans also call for tax increases on services, amounts that House Minority Leader Jason Buckle says will eat up any resident’s tax savings…     “The estimated tax cut for almost everyone is $50. That’s the estimated state tax cut just from the income taxes. Well. If you have to pay an additional 3% on these IT and data services, if you have to pay…